Millbury diner's customers stage protest at bank

Friday

Dec 27, 2013 at 6:00 AMDec 27, 2013 at 12:36 PM

By Donna Boynton TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

MILLBURY — Jason Allain stood on the brick portion of the sidewalk outside Millbury National Bank on Thursday. In one hand was a large black coffee in a styrofoam cup, in the other was a bright green, hand-lettered sign reading: "Close Your Account. Support Central Diner."

Mr. Allain was protesting the pending closure of the place where he regularly procured his coffee for the last several years: Central Diner. Central Diner leases the Elm Street land it sits on from Millbury National Bank. Christopher White, who owns the diner with his wife, Amanda, have not been able to agree on a new lease with the bank, and the diner is set to close Dec. 31.

Mr. Allain was one of four people in the small protest hoping the bank will offer a more agreeable lease to the Whites that will allow the diner to remain open.

"This is a community staple," Mr. Allain said. Mr. Allain has been a regular at the diner for four years, shortly after he moved to Millbury. "Diners like this builds a community. This bank doesn't build anything."

The diner has been at the corner of Elm and Main streets since 1910.

The Whites have paid the bank $350 a month for rent for the last 10 years. They were notified by the bank in the spring that their monthly rent would be raised significantly. The most recent offer by the bank is a six-month lease at $500 a month. The Whites countered with additional conditions, and the two sides have yet to agree, with Dec. 31 looming.

Mr. Allain was joined by Frank Reichert of Sutton, Ray Lee and one other man who declined to give his name.

Some passing motorists blew their horns at the protestors, who waved to pedestrians, were leered at by some drive-thru customers and were warned by police to make sure they kept to public property and did not interfere with bank customers.

Mr. Lee recently moved out of Millbury and has been traveling all over the country. He returned to spend the holidays with his family and heard the diner he has frequented since 1968 is in danger of closing; he decided to join the others in the protests.

"There is just good food and hometown feeling inside that diner," Mr. Lee said. "I wish I could do more."

Mr. Allain, whose regular order at least three days a week is two eggs over medium, bacon, home fries and Italian toast, plans to be outside the bank — alone or with whomever decides to join him — until Dec. 31, as his work allows.

"This is one of the defining characteristics of New England," Mr. Allain said. "Every other town you go in to, you see a Dunkin' Donuts, and in bigger towns you see places like IHOP. They have no character. All that place (the Central Diner) is about the people and the character for the town."

"Hopefully the bank will find a way to offer a fair lease," Mr. Allain said, noting that a six-month lease is unfair to the Whites and hinders their ability to invest in improvements.

Contact Donna Boynton at Donna.Boynton@telegram.com or follow her on Twitter @DonnaBoyntonTG